Field
The present disclosure is disclosure is directed to improvements in trailers for vehicles. The disclosure is particularly applicable to wheeled trailers for carrying range extending systems for electric vehicles and will be described in connection with such utility, although other utilities are contemplated.
Background of the Present Disclosure
Today, the batteries present in electric vehicles have a relatively short range resulting in what is commonly referred to as “range anxiety.”
The art also has proposed range extending trailers carrying self-powered charging systems—commonly referred to as “range extenders”—for the batteries of for electric vehicles. However, trailers are inherently maneuverably unstable. Pulling a trailer requires maintaining a smooth pulling geometry between the two vehicles. Any quick changes in speed or direction can cause undesirable reactions in an attached trailer, resulting in sliding and/or jackknifing, particularly on slippery roads, or driving under windy highway conditions. Additionally, backing up maneuvers, and, aligning and hitching a trailer can be difficult particularly for drivers who only occasionally have a need to trailer, requiring the driver to align the trailer ball and hitch behind the vehicle, below the driver's line of sight. Accordingly, current range extending trailers contain complicated back-up steering mechanisms.